What’s Happening Today?

World Arthritis Day. World Arthritis Day is when the world comes together to raise awareness about arthritis, the world’s most prevalent disease. Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. Although arthritis is one of the most common diseases in the world, most people haven’t heard much about it. 

Independence Day (Equatorial Guinea). This is the National Day of Equatorial Guinea and marks independence from Spain on October 12 1968. In March 1968, under pressure from the United Nations, Spain announced that it would grant independence to Equatorial Guinea. On October 12, 1968, Equatorial Guinea gained its independence with Francisco Macías Nguema becoming the president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

International Day Against DRM. Digital rights management (DRM) is the use of technology and systems to restrict the use of copyrighted digital materials. DRM tools are designed to protect the rights of the copyright holder and prevent unauthorized modification or distribution. International Day Against DRM has been also described as a reaction against the lobbyist-dominated World Intellectual Property Day of the World Intellectual Property Organization, which promotes DRM.

What Happened Today?

1. In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. Two months after he had set sail from Spain with crews on 3 ships – the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Santa Clara, Columbus spotted land that he believed was Japan. He had, in fact, stepped foot on what is now the Bahamas. Claiming that he was the first one to set sight on the lands, he declared the lands as being owned by the Spanish empire.

2. In 1980, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) began a counterattack against former President Idi Amin loyalist rebels who had staged a rebellion to try and recapture the government. The counterattack was in response to the massacre of 200 UNLA soldiers by the rebels on October 6 at a garrison in Koboko town in the West Nile region of Uganda.

Birthdays

1. 1968 – Hugh Jackman, Australian actor famous for playing the Wolverine in the X-men film series

2. 1985 - Boniface Kiprop, Ugandan long-distance runner who won gold at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Sources: Wikipedia, checkiday, officeholidays.com, bornglorious & arthritis.org.